Data access in a mobile network is unique in the world in that the operator charges the subscriber per access and by quantity. To that end, a Mobile Network Operator (MNO) keeps a detailed subscriber record in its database. Those records are used to control a mobile subscriber's ability to access the mobile network and the capabilities available to the user when using the mobile network. For example, subscriber account information can be used to determine if the subscriber can access the mobile network and at what usage level.
In the current mobile model, all data received and sent by a mobile device user is tracked by the MNO and charged against a pre-agreed data plan. This could be a post-paid plan as is most common in the United States or a prepaid type plan where mobile users pay up-front for a block of data. Once the allowance or quota is used, the mobile user has to pay for the extra amount on their monthly bill or “top up” their phone in the prepaid model if they want to continue using data services.
Subscribers tend to watch their mobile data usage to avoid charges either by forgoing data usage altogether or by seeking out WiFi networks where a free or flat-rate charge will cover all the data they need to consume. As a consequence, the MNO's network is underutilized and its potential revenue is reduced. In order to resolve this, the operators need to create a solution that will attract more subscribers and still allow for premium revenue, thus combating the trend towards using WiFi instead.
One such solution to this problem is for the MNO to ask the source of the data to pay for the subscriber's data. This approach is termed “Sponsored Data,” wherein instead of the MNO charging the subscriber (e.g., consumer, business person, etc.) for their data usage, some or all of their data is paid for by some entity other than the end consumer; that is, the entity that is the source of the data being accessed. This is advantageous for all involved:                the subscriber saves money;        the sponsoring entity attracts more customers to its web site, presumably promoting its products or services; and        the MNO is now getting paid for data traffic on its network that, but for the sponsor paying for it, would likely not exist.        
In the case of Sponsored Data, the MNO still tracks the data usage of their customers. But the data cost for accessing certain websites or services (i.e., the sponsored services) would be passed back to the sponsor of the content rather than to the mobile subscriber.
FIG. 1 depicts prior-art sponsored data service/system 100. MNO 102 provides both sponsored and non-sponsored data to its mobile subscribers (104a and 104b). The data is sourced from Entity 110 and Entity 112, as accessed via Internet Service Provider (“ISP”) 108. Entity 110 has not joined sponsored data service/system 100 and, as a consequence, mobile subscribers 104a and 104b will pay for any data usage (over communications (“com”) links 2 and 4 sourced from enterprise 110. Entity 112 has joined the sponsored data service 100 and, as such, will itself pay the MNO for the data usage (over com links 3 and 5) of subscriber 104b of data sourced from Entity 112.
MNO 102 must keep track of what particular data is sponsored and what data is not sponsored, such as by using “white-listed” URLs/IP addresses encoded into the MNO's packet gateway. In this context, white-listed URLs indicate participation in the sponsored data service such that data usage in conjunction with such URLs is not debited against a subscriber's account. This white-listing process must be performed for each entity that is sponsoring data and it must be performed on a per URL basis. More specifically, the white-listed URLs/IP addresses are retained by, and the data tracking is performed by Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) 106. In some other embodiments, these functions are handled by the CDMA Packet Data Serving Node (PDSN), 4G Packet Gateway (PGW) element, or packet core enforcement function (PCEF), the latter of which can be in a stand-alone server or incorporated in the GGSN, PDF, or PDSN.
Consider that a single sponsoring entity could have many thousands of URLs mapping to multiple pages from multiple customers. Every such URL would have to be “white-listed” in order for such access not to be charged to the subscriber. That means encoding the many thousands of URLs in an MNO's packet gateway. This is significant hardship for an MNO.
Every time a sponsoring entity adds a new sponsored link, that link has to be white-listed in the MNO's packet gateway. So in addition to the initial (static) on-boarding white-listing burden, there is a continuing (dynamic) burden, wherein any new sponsored links must be encoded in the MNO's packet gateway. Not all networks are even capable of doing this.
The aforementioned and other drawbacks of prior-art sponsored data service 100 are summarized in Table 1, below.
FeatureDrawback/DisadvantageURL/IPThe sponsoring entity must provide a server-sideAddressfunction that issues a set of white-listed URLs/IPProvisioningaddresses to the MNO for each subscriber for eachdata session. The MNO's network must be equippedwith a policy server that can accept dynamic rules inorder to provision URLs on the basis indicated above.Server-sideSponsored data service 100 only works for a singleFunctionalitymobile network. For data service 100 to even have ain Sponsorchance of working with multiple mobile networks,Appeach such network would have to implement thesponsoring methodology the exact same way, or eachentity that sponsors data must adapt their interfaceswith each MNO to meet that MNO's capabilities. As aconsequence, data service 100 does not scale beyonduse with a single MNO, making the use thereof verychallenging for entities wishing to sponsor data.SponsorEach sponsoring entity must be on-boarded with eachOnboardingmobile operator they wish to work with on a sponsoredplan, which requires negotiating a separate deal witheach such operator.BillingEach MNO sends a separate bill to the sponsoring entity,requiring the sponsor to settle separately with each MNO.And each entity would have to be on-boarded andseparately provisioned into the MNO's billing system(billing ID, database, reports, record retention, audits,etc.)—a major hardship on the MNO.